<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 3pt; TEXT-AUTOSPACE: ideograph-numeric" class=MsoNormal>In <I>Imagining the Urban</I>, Shonaleeka Kaul turns to Sanskrit literature to discover the characteristics—both physical and social—of ancient Indian cities. Kaul examines nearly a thousand years of Sanskrit <I>kavyas </I>to see what India's early historic cities were like as living, lived-in, entities—and discovers that the cities were vibrant and teeming with variety and life.</p> <P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 3pt; TEXT-AUTOSPACE: ideograph-numeric" class=MsoNormal> </P> <P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 3pt; TEXT-AUTOSPACE: ideograph-numeric" class=MsoNormal>As much about Sanskrit literature as about urban spaces—insofar as that literature reveals significant aspects of the Indian urban past—<I> Imagining the Urban</I> shows that Sanskrit literature is a rich source for historical understanding. Advocating the  kavyas as an important historical source, Kaul provides a fresh view of the early city, showing distinctive ways of thought and behavior that relate to tradition, morality, and authority.</p> <P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal> </P> <P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal>With its provocative new questions about early Indian cities and ancient Indian texts, this book will be an essential read for scholars of urban history, Sanskrit writings, and South Asian antiquity.</p> <div></DIV>